England to stage Six Nations warm-up match prior to Italy in search of cash boost
With England due to play their Guinness Six Nations back match versus Italy in Rome on October 31, the Rugby Football Union are arranging a warm-up game for Eddie Jones’ England just 24 hours after the planned October 24 Gallagher Premiership final.
Amid the financial crisis that will see the RFU shed 139 jobs due to the projected loss of £100million due to the pandemic, they will look to maximise their potential earnings by adding an extra game to the roster.
It has already been revealed that if the capacity at Twickenham is limited to 30,000 all but a small number of tickets will be given to the lucrative hospitality operation that normally helps the RFU generate around £10m per match.
At present, England have not announced their Six Nations warm-up opponents but the Barbarians are one option while the scheduled November Test games with New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia remain under threat due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19.
As a result, an expanded Six Nations competition is planned – two groups of four – which will include Japan and Fiji who have confirmed they have been approached to join in.
That would reduce the number of planned home games for England who are negotiating a cut in the match fees to their players. It was £25,000 per player but this will be reduced when a new deal is struck.
The idea of a warm-up game on October 25 hasn’t gone down well with everyone in English rugby, however. One club director of rugby told RugbyPass: “Why do you need a warm-up – it’s a game with Italy? We’re not getting any warm-ups before we restart the Premiership games.”
Martyn Phillips, the Welsh Rugby Union chief executive, has been helping to sort out the calendar and he insists getting all of the international fixtures agreed for the next Test window agreed is down to the English and French unions and their respective clubs.
He said: “It’s largely down to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) as well as FFR and LNR in France to iron things out. We’re nearly there. We’re just waiting on those two nations to square things out so it is down to England and France to get us over the line.”
The dates for next season’s Top 14 club games in France will be discussed on Wednesday following Tuesday’s World Rugby executive meeting which is hoping to confirm the international schedule, and the Top 14 clubs (LNR) insist that five Test games – not six as wanted by the FFR – will be arranged.
A leading figure in the discussions told RugbyPass: “We’re dealing with October and November, hammering out release dates, and there is total unity in the club game in Europe. Some of the best minds in the game operate in club rugby and I hope we are at the start of a more inclusive discussion, but first we need to get the internationals sorted for this year.
“There is this period, then there is next season and also the longer term and they are three very different things. Bilateral discussions are taking place rather than imposing regulations. LNR have been talking to the FFR, and PRL and RFU are doing the same. This year can be sorted.
“This is just the beginning of the process. We all want to keep July as an international window and it is a strongly held view. That has all been parked to get this year sorted and there is a long way still to go. Those discussions have yet to be arranged.”
About those done deal claims… https://t.co/sOTDVRq6rk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 7, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Results probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
1 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to comments